Expensive buckets?

[F5 Dave]

People get all uppity about how much people spend if it out of their budget. I've often been accused of having a million $ bike

When I started was part time working & couldn't afford much I got a $250 MB50 & bit by bitted it from there with 2nd hand engines.


Current bike was a reconstruction of my first RG50 (which cost me $400 in about 1994). RS Frame, tank, forks $300. Transfer my old engine & mod the wheels to fit ($60 & doz beer). Pipe $160. Footpegs; from old bike & hangers; peice of scrap ally & some time spent on the mill, free. Brakes bars, tailpeice, all transferred from old bike.

Plenty of pistons, rings etc over the years & some quite cheap dyno time but as a 16yr on same engine I'm still in the budget end of buckets. oh actually that engine has had new top end from my spare engine, but you get the picture.

[Tyler_94]

wow, thats cool if you have the money. not so cool if you dont for the bucket class.

I bought my bucket for $1200 3 years ago which is a RS50 frame with a loncin 150 in it. The engine is stock and i have only bought 2nd hand slicks, one set of brake pads and now one intake valve. I cant afford anything else.
Especially around the 2k and over mark. I prefer to spend my money on the big track.

I now see why when/if i go to other tracks i get whipped down the straights. Hopefully Hawks Bay riders dont go over the top with expenses so i can keep in the points for our club.

[ac3_snow]

My little starter pack cost me 200 (plus another 200 to actually get it)
currently building one from scratch which has so far cost me $1018.70 with about another $600 to go.

[Str8 Jacket]

Ha my bucket has cost me less than $1200-1300 all up in the last 2-3 years I have owned it. That includes WoF's and rego's, tyres, chains, sprockets etc....



Unfortunately I have a strange feeling its going to cost me alot more very soon when the engine gives....

[all4A50s]

At the last count I had just passed retail value (including the bike) of $10,100.

[Buckets4Me]

$900

thats the purchase price of $150 gp125 (with a blowen engine)
and $750 for the rs frame spare wheels and ollins shock and fork internalls

dosent include the $1400 engine rebuild i didn't pay for (on old engine I pinched)

so divide that by 6 years and buckets or F4 is cheap racing
stop complaining about the price and go race something els where you need 10k to get started instead of 2-3k (I know you can race a cheap piece of shit but you want to be near the frount dont you)

I know people that would drink more than 2-3k of bear in a year (thats less than $60 a week)
about the price of a good flat screen TV

a mountain bike costs more
so dose a good road bike (peddle power)
you probably pay more going to the gym than building a bike

[jasonu]

TZR rolling chassis $300 RS125 rear end $150 KE125 bottom end from Brice Minto $150 RG400 cylinder $50 RS125 tank mold $150 RS125 seat mold $150 TZ500 pipe came with rat motor $700 for the motor with pipe but only the pipe is used various ali 'borrowed' from previous employer free (actual value maybe $150) various machining done in trade for welding, who knows. ali 415 rear sprockets from Aussie $60 other shit I forgot about and there is a lot of it ???
Countless hours of my time fitting, fabricating, designing, calculating, driving around getting shit done, welding, machining, testing, fixing fuck ups, blah blah PRICELESS!!!
(but would no doubt add up to many thousands if I had to pay for it)
It all depends on what you want and what makes you happy.

[Shorty_925]

I prefer to spend my money on the big track.

Pretty much sums it up.

I now see why when/if i go to other tracks i get whipped down the straights.

Ride harder in the corners to keep ahead, thats how it is for me!

[TZ350]

What happened to the old days with the cheap standard GL (loncin) engines??

.......new Loncin motor $595.00...... up over 10 years $1280.00 = $128 per year EAT SHIT PEOPLE

The days of a good rider and a Loncin are not over as there is always someone who seems to be able to make bigger hp bikes eat shit .......... ............ fast corner speed shouldn't be allowed........

[saxet]

If you charged for the time and effort ( mental as well as physical ) most buckets would be priceless... apart from Fishies but he's just annoying.

[Henk]

Three FXRs I've built would average at about 2k each, that includes spare rims with wets but not consumables like tyres and all the bits I've smashed or worn out in the last two years or so. Most expensive probably $2500 cheapest $1500.
Then probably about $500 a bike a year to race with tyres oil and entry fees etc if we stick to Auckland, start going to away meets and gas for the van and accomodation can easily run to a $500 weekend. Still hell cheap though when you consider other forms of motorcycle sport, even dirt bikes come out as more expensive since you stilll have the travel and a decent bike is going to run $10+ and need replacing every couple of years, and the entry for an enduro or X country is at the $50 to $65 mark.

[Deano]

Wow some of you have spent a lot of dosh - I bought my 89 CBR400RR for $2000, ready to race in pre 89 Junior and F3.


Running costs are higher but....

[Henk]

Running costs are higher but....

I think the biggest attraction of buckets over other classes for me at the moment is the fact that I can race 11 times a year without leaving town so no need for a huge travel budget.

[jasonu]

I think the biggest attraction of buckets over other classes for me at the moment is the fact that I can race 11 times a year without leaving town so no need for a huge travel budget.

Yes actually showing up costs buggar all.

[speedpro]

don't forget how much track time you get. cost per hour on the track is unbeatable